Seeing the Light Under the Sea
by Turner Child
Summary: After escaping her tower and discovering that Eugene was cheating on her, Rapunzel discovers a plant that washes on the shore in the kingdom of Corona. This plant turns her into a mermaid. She meets Ariel and other merfolk, but unknown to anyone that plant unleashed a great evil. Can Rapunzel, her friends, and her new love survive? Read and Review.
1. Prologue

**Prologue **

Thunder sounded across the pitch black starless sky. The waves in the ocean rose in height. The waves were so tall that it seemed like a dream – a nightmare- if one was honest with one's self.

A flash of red hair appeared out of the ocean. This hair did not belong to a human or an animal, but to a mythical being- a mermaid- named Ariel. The mermaid gasped for breath as the waves slowly began to calm down slightly.

Her blue eyes widened as she felt something or someone grab her emerald color tail, pulling her back under the water to her home. She glanced down and saw a figure with short blonde hair trying to get up for breath.

Ariel lifted her tail up faintly due to the weight that was on it. She extended the upper part of her body downward and grabbed the figure with her hands. She yanked what she grabbed upward and held it by the waist, allowing it to breathe and not panic.

Her eyes scanned the ocean for something- anything she could use to help the figure to stay afloat. A smile crept upon her face as she saw a piece of drift wood. She swam toward it and put the arms of what she had on it.

The figure she had took several deep breaths and began to cough. "A-A-Ar-Ariel- wh-where are they?" The female figured asked between coughs. Panic was in her voice.

"I don't know, Rapunzel, but you have to get away from here. You are not a mermaid anymore. This is too dangerous for a human," the mermaid replied.

Rapunzel glared at Ariel. Determination filled her body. "NO! I started this mess! I have to end it."

"I started it too. If I hadn't made that deal with Ursula…" Ariel began.

"Do not blame yourself. I was the one who founded that plant to begin with," Rapunzel interrupted.

"You did not know what it would do. It wasn't your fault. Now we have two people we need to find," the red haired girl reminded her.

Rapunzel's big green eyes widened in horror, she had forgotten why she was in the sea to begin with! She clutched tighter onto the driftwood. "ERIC!" She yelled.

"HANS!" Ariel shouted after her.

"ERIC!"

"HANS!"

The two females yelled their names again. The only thing that answered them was the howling of the wind, and the waves of the sea.

"I am going back under the water. I have to find that necklace for you!" Ariel told the short haired princess.

"No, don-" Rapunzel began but it was too late. Ariel was already under the water.

Memories entered the women's minds as they remembered how they had gotten into this situation in the first place.

**Hello, my faithful readers and reviewers! I hope you all enjoy my first crossover and my last story on fanfiction. I am quitting this site because I hardly ever get reviews and I am busy. I am hoping that – since this my final story- I will get a lot of reviews. I will miss you all. Of course, if you still want to talk, you can still p.m. me. With that being said, I do** **not** **own** _The Little Mermaid_ or _Tangled._ _The Little Mermaid _**is** **property** **of** **Hans** **Christian** **Anderson** **and** **Disney**. _Tangled_ **is** **own** **by** **Disney**. **The** **story** **and** **character** _Rapunzel_ **is** **owned** **by** **the** **Grimm** **Brothers**. **By the way, does anyone know how to get a hold of publishing companies or what to do if one is interested in writing children's books for Disney? If you do please let me know. I have been wanting to write Disney children's books for many years. Oh, if you are wandering who Hans is go to youtube and type in little mermaid tv series metalfish.**


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One **

Eighteen year old Rapunzel read the letter she had just received. Tears filled her eyes as she read it. It was a message from Eugene. She let out a deep sigh and wiped her eyes with her right hand. She then rubbed her hand through her short brown pixie hair.

It had been a month since she and Eugene had seen other. The two had not parted on the best of terms. Two weeks after they had returned from the tower, Rapunzel found out that Eugene was seeing another woman behind her back. He apologized to her, but it was too late the damage had been done. Eugene left the kingdom soon afterward.

Once she was done reading Eugene's letter of apology, she set it down on her desk in her room. She then went to the royal library to read. She climbed up a ladder that lead to top shelf, and grabbed the book she had been reading the other day. The book was entitled _The Proper Etiquette of a Princess and Other Responsibilities. _After she took the book, she scaled down the ladder and headed back to her room to read.

Before she was able to go inside her chamber; however, her mother called for her. Rapunzel let out a soft groan. It was so hard being a princess! She had so many responsibilities! She had to learn how to rule a kingdom, how to dance properly, how to eat, and….it was so frustrating! She felt like she was going to let the entire kingdom down if she did not do everything the correct way. _I am the princess of disaster, _she thought as she walked toward the throne room.

One year later, Rapunzel looked around anxiously at the castle she and her parents had been invited to stay in. The castle was small compared to Rapunzel's new home, but it was beautiful! It was right on the beach which was something that she loved! The way the ocean felt on her skin felt so wonderful. It was a sensation that she would never ceased to amaze her. She felt like she could live in the ocean forever if she wanted to.

"Rapunzel?" Two female voices questioned behind her snapping her out of her thoughts.

The short brunette haired princess turned around. Her green eyes widened. A grin came across her face. "Elanor! Jessica!" She exclaimed. She gave the two princesses a hug. "How have the two of you been?" She questioned once she pulled away. Elanor and Jessica were two princesses that Rapunzel had met a few months after she came into the kingdom. The two princesses were really kind and had given her great advice on how to be a princess.

"We are doing well," Jessica replied. "What are you doing here?"

"Dad, Mom, and I got invited to the Valentine's Day Ball. Is that why you are here?" She asked.

"Oh, no. We are just passing through," Elanor told her.

"That's too bad," Rapunzel said sadly. "It would have been nice to have some familiar faces around.'

Jessica looked up deep in thought. "Do you have a date for the ball?"

Rapunzel shook her head. She did not.

Elanor gave Jessica a questioning look then smiled. "I have a friend who is here for the ball. A friend of his was in need of a date for the ball. His friend doesn't want it to be a date or anything. He just would like have someone to go with as a friend," Elanor explained quickly knowing about Rapunzel's past relationship.

"Would you like to go with him? He is really nice," Jessica interjected.

"Um…." Rapunzel began. She was about to say no, but the look that her friends were giving her were hard to resist. _Besides, _she thought,_ we are going as friends. Nothing romantic is going to come out of this, and I won't look an idiot going to a Valentine's Day Ball with an escort. _"Okay."

"Great!" Jessica exclaimed happily. "We are going to go find him."

Before Rapunzel could get a chance to say anything else, the two princesses ran off. She sighed. Once again she was left alone. _Why do I get the feeling that I set up?_ She thought to herself.

Valentine's Day came and Rapunzel had not been asked to ball yet. The ball, thank goodness, was being held the day after because people were still arriving to the kingdom. She sighed. _The man probably decided he did not want to go with me,_ she thought as put her flute in its case.

A hand gently touched her shoulders causing her to turn around. Her eyes came face to face with a white shirt obviously worn by a man. She looked up and saw the brownest eyes that she had ever seen.

"Hi, I'm Prince Eric," he said as he extended his hand.

"I'm Rapunzel," she replied as she shook his hand.

He smiled and took a step back, letting go of her hand. "Uh…a friend of mine said that you wanted to go the ball with me. Do you still want to go?" He asked shyly.

"Yes, I do," she replied.

Eric grinned. "I am sorry that it took so long to ask you. I have been busy with preparations, and I was just told last night about you," He said sincerely.

"It is okay, " Rapunzel told him understandingly.

"Well, I feel bad beca-"

"Eric," an elderly man with gray hair and a purple colored tie yelled. "Chef Louie wishes to go over the menu with you…again."

"That's Grimsby," the black haired prince said with a sigh. "I am sorry for rushing off, but I have to get this done. I will see you tomorrow. "

"It is okay. I will see you tomorrow."

"Until then, madame," he said. He got on his knee, kissed her hand, then left.

Rapunzel watched him leave. A smile crept on her face. Maybe she would have fun at the Valentine's Day Ball after all.

**Hello, again. I hope everyone will enjoy this new chapter. Now I know in the movie Eric has blue eyes, but for the sake of this story I am going to make them brown. If anyone has any ideas that they like to see in this story, suggest them in a review. I may use them. They are also good in defeating writer's block. Oh, if anyone would like to make a video on youtube about this story go ahead. If someone does make a video, please let me know. I would love to see it. By the way, this chapter is dedicated to The Sage Journal, my first reviewer on this story. Please review though. I would love to hear what you readers think.**


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two **

_His eyes are so dark!_ _They are even darker than Eugene's eyes! He is quite handsome too! _Rapunzel thought to herself as she slipped into the purple dress that she was wearing for the Valentine Days Ball. She stepped in front of the mirror and admired herself.

The dress she wore was beautiful. It was completely different than the usual purple and pink dress she typically wore. The coloring was much darker. It was a long sleeveless dress that touched the ground. The top was very form fitting and the bottom part of it looked almost like a mermaid tail except it was gathered around from her waist to the bottom of her feet; making it look like waves.

She shivered slightly from the coldness of her room and the excitement she was feeling. She grabbed a black short sleeved jacket and put it on. The jacket looked really good with the dress, and it kept her a little bit warmer.

A knock at the door caused her to turn around. She opened the door, and smiled as she saw her parents. Her parents grinned back.

"Rapunzel, you look so beautiful!" Her mother exclaimed.

"You sure do, baby," her father said in agreement.

Rapunzel looked down at the ground then blushed. Even though she had been home for a year, she was still not used to receiving complements. When she lived with Mother Gothel, the woman would give her complements then she would say something very rude afterward and never meant her complements.

Her parents put their hands on her shoulder, and gave a reassuring squeeze. "You are going to have a fun time tonight," her mother told her comfortingly.

"I hope so," the young princess said nervously.

"Prince Eric is a nice young man," the king said. "He will make sure you have a go-"

A knock at the door interrupted his sentence. "Your Majesties," Grimsby called from the other side of the door. "The ball will be starting soon."

Rapunzel gulped. She still was not use to royal balls and such. _Why am I here again? Why did I agree to be set up? _She wondered.

"It is going to be okay," her father whispered encouragingly.

The young princess smiled and stepped out of her room with her parents. She was ready. She could do this.

Prince Eric sat down on his bed in his room. He took a deep breath, and rubbed his hands through his hair anxiously. He was very nervous about tonight. Rapunzel was a princess, a very beautiful princess, he knew. It was the reason why he was so panicky. He was afraid that he would act foolish or say something stupid that would possibly ruin a friendship that had barely begun.

Eric was extremely shy around girls. He always had been. The main reason was because Grimsby and the kingdom were counting on him to find a wife to help him rule. Eric was twenty-four years old, and though he ruled the kingdom well, he did not feel like he was ready for marriage yet. His parents had died recently, and he did not want to grieve a new bride with such pain and sadness. If he were to marry, he wanted to take his time and get to know the woman first. After that he would make his decision of whether he would go through with marriage.

A knock at the door interrupted the young prince's thoughts. "Eric," Grimsby called. "The ball will be starting soon."

The black haired man lifted himself off his bed and looked at himself in a mirror that was in his room. He had on a black suit with a white colored shirt on. He closed his eyes, grabbed the single red rose that he had in a vase, and strolled out the door.

As he entered the ballroom, his dark brown eyes widened as he saw Rapunzel. He thought she was beautiful before, but now she looked like an angel. He quickly composed himself then walked toward her. He put his right hand behind his back, and tapped her shoulder gently. She turned to him and smiled. "Happy Valentine's Day," he said as he produced the red rose from behind him.

Rapunzel's smile grew even wider. "Eric, thank you! It is absolutely beautiful!" she exclaimed as she took the flower.

Eric blushed. "Why don't you put the flower in your room?" He asked.

"Good idea. I don't want it to get ruined," she replied. She walked up the stairs to her room. Eric followed her and waited outside of her room.

Two minutes later she came out. Eric grinned at her and held his arm out. "Shall we?" He asked.

"We shall," she replied as she took his arm and walked down the stairs with him.

Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, the sound of classical music seemed to fill the entire palace. Eric looked around nervously as he saw couples dancing together. He really wanted to ask Rapunzel to dance, but he was afraid she did not want too.

Rapunzel tapped her foot gently to the sound of the music. She glanced at the dancers then glanced at Eric. It seemed as if he wanted to ask her to dance, but he was too shy to do it. "Do you dance, Prince Eric?" she asked.

The black haired man nodded. "W-wo- would you like to dance?" He stammered.

"I would love too," the brunette replied. Eric's eye lit up, and led her to the dance floor.

Several hours later, they walked down the beach. The prince and princess were having a wonderful time together just talking and dancing. They discovered through their conversation that they acted very much alike in their personality and liked a lot of the same things.

"After I went th-" Eric began to say but he stopped speaking as he saw a figure standing on the beach. It was a man who appeared to be talking to the ocean.

As they got closer, they saw that the man had long brown hair in a ponytail. He had on navy blue pants and navy blue vests. His voice quieted down as he heard the sound of footsteps coming near him. He coughed and saw a young man and woman heading his way. He stood up. "Hello," he said.

"Hey, Hans," Eric told him. "Rapunzel, this is-"

"Hans Christian Andersen!" The princess said excitedly. "Mister Anderson, I love your books!"

The author grinned at the princess. "Thank you. It is nice to meet a fan of my work. What is your favorite of my books?"

"_The Little Mermaid_ and _The Ugly Duckling,"_ the princess replied. "What was your favorite book to write?"

"_The Little Mermaid,_" replied Hans as he looked at the sea with a secretive smile on his face.

Rapunzel smiled and followed his gaze. For a moment she thought she saw something red flowing in the wind from a rock. She shook her head. It was probably her imagination.

**Well, what do you think of story. Please review. I would love to know what you think! Do any of you know what to do about Disney book publishing?**


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three **

Rapunzel laughed as she read the latest letter from Prince Eric. Pascal, who was on her shoulder, was laughing too. Eric had written a letter to her telling her about his dog Max. The sheep dog had run away from him last week, which had caused the young prince to chase the dog all the way into town!

The princess smiled. It had a year and half since the Valentine Ball, and the young royals had kept in contact since. In fact, the two had been dating for four months. Rapunzel loved Eric. There was something about him that her at ease. She could relax and be herself around him. Eric, she knew, felt the same way.

"Rapunzel," her mother called. "You need to get ready for the theatre."

The brunette short haired princess sighed. "Come on, Pascal, let's go," she said as she headed to her room.

After an hour, Rapunzel was ready to go. She was excited because she was going to get to go to the theatre, the opera, to be exact. The opera was always amazing to watch and it was fun to go to. Looking at herself in the mirror on more time, Rapunzel left her room.

"Mom, are you ready to g-" The princess stopped speaking. A huge grin came upon her face. "Eric!" She exclaimed. She ran to him and gave him a hug.

The black haired prince smiled and handed her a bouquet of flowers. "Thank you," she said. "why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"Surprise!" He replied.

"By the way, Rapunzel, we are not going to the theatre tonight," her mom said.

Rapunzel laughed. "That is okay. This is better," the princess replied.

Everybody laughed and smiled.

Eric coughed and held out his arm to the short haired princess. "Shall we?" He asked.

"We shall," she replied as Eric escorted her out the door.

The King and Queen smiled as they saw them leave.

"She is getting too big," Rapunzel's father said sadly.

"I know," his wife replied in the same tone of voice. "On the bright side, if they were to marry we know she will be taken care of."

"Don't start predicting, dear, that is never a good thing."

Rapunzel and Eric smiled at each other as they walked through the kingdom of Corona. Eric looked around in awe. He had never visited the kingdom before. It was beautiful! The kingdom was filled with so many friendly people. It almost felt like he had never left home. His brown eyes studied the princess before him. She was so beautiful and kind. He had no idea what he had done to deserve her, but whatever it was he was glad. He could not even imagine his life without Rapunzel. It was strange since he had spent so many years without her. He began to wonder _how _he had spent that time not knowing her.

After they left the market, they decided to go to the beach. Eric took his boots off and felt the sand between his toes. He closed his eyes, and held Rapunzel's hand. "I love you," he told her.

"I love you more," she replied.

"No, you don't," he said. He leaned down and kissed her for the first time. The two kissed each other for a few seconds. Eric broke it off. "I am so sorry. I should have asked you first before I ki-"

"Don't apologize. I enjoyed it," Rapunzel said. She stood on her tip toes and tried to kiss him.

Suddenly pain shot through her body. She let out a gasp and fell on the ground.

"Rapunzel, are you o- what is happening to your legs?"

The princess looked down at her legs. Her green eyes widened. Her legs were gone. She had the tail of fish. She was a mermaid!


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four **

Eric stared at Rapunzel in shock. She was a mermaid! She looked so mesmerizing. Her tail was purple, and she had pink seashells on her chest. Her hair color had even changed! Instead of it being a short brunette color, it was now short and blonde.

"Oh my gosh! Eric, what is going on?! What happened?! Why am I a mermaid? How did th-"

"It's going to be okay, Rapunzel. I don't know what happened, but I am going to find out," he said. He bent down and took a piece of seaweed off of were her ankle had once been. As he removed it, he saw a plant that was underneath it. The plant was beautiful. It was long and white with the color purple on top of it. He picked it up and removed it as well. He was about to throw the plant away, but Rapunzel asked him not too, because she wanted to see it

He handed it to her and smiled. "Do you have a piece of string?" she asked.

Eric nodded. He had bought string earlier to make a lantern with Rapunzel earlier at the market place. He placed it gently in her hands. She then took the string and tied it around the plant.

"What are you doing?" He questioned.

"I am making a necklace," she replied. Once she was done, Eric took the necklace and tied it around her neck. As soon as he put it on her neck, a storm came out of nowhere! The wind began to blow strongly. Eric's eyes widened as he saw a giant wave headed to shore. He took Rapunzel's arms, and began to pull her up the shore. Unfortunately, her tail made her extremely heavy. He continued to drag her the best he could, when suddenly an almost unseen force came between them and separated them.

Rapunzel fell into the water, and Eric was thrown to the ground. Rapunzel screamed his name. He got up and tried to reach her. The wind blew once more, and threw him back on the ground. This time though his head hit and his world went black.

"Eric!" Rapunzel yelled more. Before she could call his name again, however; she was brought under the waves and taken far away from her kingdom.

**Sorry about this chapter being so short. The plot bunny unfortunately has left me on this story. If anyone has any ideas, please share them.**


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five **

"Ariel, wait up!" A blue and yellow fish yelled as he swam to a beautiful red haired mermaid. The mermaid let out an aggravated sigh as she waited for her best friend.

"Flounder, hurry up!" She called.

A few minutes later, her friend was behind her. The young fish panted for breath. "Y-y- you know I c-c-c-can't swim that fast," he told her.

Ariel shook her head. _He is such a guppy at times,_ she thought to herself but she smiled. Even though, Flounder was a guppy. He was a good fish and a great friend. She was about to saysomething to him, but her blue eyes lit up as she saw her original destination in the first place. "There it is," she said as she pointed to a large sunken ship. She swam forward, eager to find human things. "Isn't it fantastic?!"

"Yeah, it's great. Now can we can out of here?!" Flounder asked. His voice had a slight sound of panic in it. He started to swim away. He was not looking forward to going into the ship. When they went exploring together, he often got hurt on their adventures. He shuddered as he remembered when he got turned into a Howling Hair Fish. That had not been a fun experience at all!

Ariel's eyes darted to her friend as she saw him swimming in the opposite directions. She grabbed his tail and pulled him toward him. "You aren't getting cold fins now are you?" She questioned.

"Who? Me? Now way!" Flounder exclaimed. "It's just that it's damp in there-yeah- yeah- and I think I might be coming down with something. You see I have this cough." The blue and yellow fished gave a fake cough. Surely, Ariel would forget this madness and let them go home.

The mermaid just shook her head. "All right," she replied once she got to a port hole, "I am going inside. You can just stay here and watch for sharks." She squeezed inside the porthole and swam inside.

"Good idea," she heard the fish say. "You go. I'll stay here and watch for- WHAT- SHARKS?!" The fish quickly swam into the hole after her, but unfortunately he got stuck. "I can't- I mean- Ariel, help."

Ariel turned and laughed as she saw her best friend trying to get out of the hole. She took his fins and pulled on him.

"Ariel, you don't think there are sharks around here do you?" He asked frighteningly.

"Flounder, don't be such a guppy," she told him.

"I'm not a guppy," he replied.

After several minutes of pulling, she finally got him free. The two began to explore the ship. Ariel looked around in wonder and amazement; while Flounder looked around in fear.

"This is great. Excitement. Adventure around every corne-"The fish let out a scream as he saw a skeleton in front of his face. He called for his best friend, and swam toward her quickly, knocking her down. He shook in her arms.

"Awe. Are you okay?" She asked him concerned.

"Y-y-yeah," he stuttered still shaking slightly.

Once she was sure he was all right, she swam to the upper level of the deck of the ship. Her eyes widened as she now knew she and Flounder were not alone on this ship as she had believed. There was another mermaid, and her head was bleeding.

Ariel called for her best friend to come help her. The fish was at her side a few seconds later. She took her orange bag, and grabbed a rag that she kept in it. She put the piece of cloth, and put it on the mermaid's head. She then lifted her up. "Come on, Flounder, we got to take her home. Sharks are going to want her bl-"

Before the mermaid could let out another word, a shark burst through a large window in the ship. He swam toward them. His teeth bared. He began to bite pieces of the wood on the ship. He was hungry, and he saw three delicious snacks in front of him.


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six **

The shark swam toward the two mermaids and the fish. His giant white teeth snapped with delight. It was lunch time!

Ariel looked around frantically. There had to be a way to get Flounder, the unconscious mermaid, and herself out of this dangerous situation. Her sea blue eyes darted up. A grin crept upon her face. The mermaid swam upward.

"Ariel, what are you doing?!" Flounder yelled. His voice was in a complete panic.

"Stay where you are, Flounder! I can handle this," she replied.

The fish gulped. The shark was coming closer! He closed his eyes, waiting for the end to come. It never came.

Slowly, he opened his eyes. He sighed with relief. The shark had been tied by a long strand of chains. "Apollo!" He exclaimed excitedly.

"Thank you for saving us, Apollo," Ariel told the blonde haired merman.

Apollo was a very handsome merman. He had long light colored blonde hair and a dark blue tale. He was a hero in Atlantica. He had saved the kingdom twice. The first time had been an accident, but the second time had not. He bent down and patted his underwater fire breathing dragon with his left hand. In his right hand, he held onto the chain that had the shark tied.

The dragon lifted its head. It began to spin around in circles at an almost unnatural speed. It continued to spin until Apollo let go of the chain. The shark was thrown far away because of the combine strength of the merman and the speed of the dragon.

Once the shark was thrown, Apollo got off of his dragon. He swam around dizzily for a few seconds then stood still. When he felt less lightheaded, he spoke, "No problem, Ariel. It is the least I can do with all you have done for me." A slight groan from the injured mermaid on the ground made Apollo look down. "Do you want a ride home?" He asked.

"Yes, please!" Flounder exclaimed. The fish swam to the dragon and laid on him.

Ariel grinned at her friend. She and Apollo picked up the mermaid and gently set her on the dragon.

"Swim quickly, my friend," the hero of Atlantica told the dragon once they were all situated comfortably on the great beast. The beast obeyed. He did not feel like fighting another shark again.

Once they reached Atlantic, Ariel swam into the throne room as fast as she could. She had to find her father and get help for the hurt mermaid. She looked paler than before, and that greatly concerned the red haired mermaid. She let out a sigh of relief as she saw the faces of her father and his royal advisor, a crab, named Sebastian sitting on the throne.

"Ariel, are you all right?" Her father, King Triton, asked. He looked at his daughter in concern. Worry was written all over her face.

"I am fine, Daddy, but I found a mermaid earlier and she is hurt," the red haired mermaid replied.

The king arose from his throne. "Take me to her, Ariel, and I will help the best way I can," he told the young princess. He then told Sebastian to go get Doctor Oct in case assistance would be needed. The crab got up from his seat and swam to fetch the doctor.

Ariel took her father's hand and led him to her room. As they swam, she explained to him how she and Flounder had found the mermaid and how Apollo had saved them.

King Triton shook his head. He was happy that the mermaid had been found, but he was disappointed in his daughter because she had disobeyed him again. She was constantly getting in trouble for her disobedience because she would always look for human things. He would not get onto her though. She had had a hard enough day today, and HOPEFULLY she would learn not go to near human things ever again after this incident.

Once they reached Ariel's room, the Ruler of Atlantica's eyes fell on the bed where the mermaid laid. He swam toward the female and observed her. She around Ariel's age, maybe a little bit older, but he was not sure. She was pale due to the loss of blood, but he suspected that she had beautiful tan colored skin. Her hair was very unusual. It was blonde but the way it was cut and styled was unique. It was short and had a soft almost spikey look. He had never seen a mermaid with such hair.

The king shook his head. There was no reason for him to worry about she looked like. She was injured and possibly dying. He could ask her questions later. As of right now, she was in need of healing. He raised his magical triton and pointed it to the young mermaid. A soft magical glow came from it, surrounding her. He hoped that this would work.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven **

A low moan escaped Rapunzel's lips as she started to wake up. Her vision blurred, she started to rise from where she was. As she rose, she immediately regretted it and lied back down.

"Don't rise that fast," a male voice told her.

Rapunzel squinted in the direction where the voice was coming from. It was coming from an octopus! He was a royal blue color, carrying a white bag with his tentacles.

The octopus continued to speak. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

"I feel fine. My head is ju-" the princess of Corona began.

"Hey, you're awake!" A blue and yellow fish said excitedly. "I'll go get Ariel. She will be happy to know that you are all right.

_What am I doing under water? _The princess of Corona thought, and then she remembered! The shell, Eric, the storm… how was she supposed to get home? Should she tell these sea creatures she was actually a human or would that put her in danger because most people ate fish? When did fish and octopi learn how to talk?!

A flash of red hair interrupted Rapunzel from her thoughts. She glanced at where the hair was. Her big green eyes widened as she saw the fish return with another figure following him. The figure caused her to nearly go into shock. It was a mermaid- a beautiful mermaid. She had long red hair, pale skin, sea blue eyes, a green tail, and purple sea shells on her breast. Other than the hair and eye color of the mystical creature, Rapunzel felt like she was looking in a mirror of herself when her hair had been long.

"Hey, I'm Ariel. I am glad that you are awake. Are you okay? What happened?" The mermaid asked concerned.

The princess did not answer at first. She still did not know what to say about her being a human. She did not like lying because that was what Gothel had done to her her entire life, but she did not want to get killed either. For all she knew, these sea creatures could hate humans.

After some thinking, she decided what to say. Besides, the mermaid had not asked her for her life story or anything. She just asked for her well-being, and she could not remember what happened after she got separated from Eric. "I am happy to meet you, Ariel," She replied. "Other than my head being sore, I am fine. I honestly cannot remember what happened."

Ariel smiled gently at her. "I am glad you all right. My father, friends, and I have been worried since we found you. What is your name?"

"My name is Rapunzel. Where am I at exactly?" She questioned slowly.

The mermaid looked at the princess guiltily. "I am sorry. Where are my manners? I brought you to my room and did not even tell you what city you were in. You are in Atlantica."

"Atlantica?" The princess of Corona questioned.

The king and queen of Corona looked at Eric in shock, tears formed in their eyes as he told them what had happened to their daughter. It seemed impossible to believe, but if a flower could have healing powers then it was possible that mermaids existed as well. The question was where in the ocean were they? Had they tried to steal their daughter or was it an accident? These questions and many more went through the royal couple's minds.

They had debated between starting a war with the merfolk, but they decided against it. Mermaids had kept their existence a secret for centuries. They more than likely did not know she was a human. As long as Rapunzel kept her heritage a secret, she would most like be safe. They just hoped she was wise enough to do so.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight **

Prince Eric pulled on the rope to help lift the sail of the _H.M.S Monarchy_. The wind blew his jet black hair backwards. He closed his brown eyes and took a deep breath.

After a few minutes, he opened them. His eyes fell upon the ocean. He stared at the beautiful blue water and blinked back the tears that were threatening to come forth.

It had been a month since Rapunzel had disappeared. He and her parents had been searching for her every day since then. He could not help but fell like it was his fault that they had gotten separated. He should have held on tighter. He could have-

"Do you need a hand, Your Highness?" A male voice questioned behind him.

Eric turned to find himself standing face to face with Hans Christian Anderson. He gave the red hair man a small smile. Before the prince could protest, however; the young man was already helping him pull the sail.

"It wasn't your fault," the author of many of the fairy tales that Rapunzel enjoyed told him gently.

The prince was about to argue, but the look on Han's face made him stop. He just let out a deep aggravated sigh. He wanted Rapunzel back. Didn't the people on this ship understand how important she was to him?!

Hans continued to speak. "We will get her back. We are going to find her. Besides for all we know, she could be underneath us," he said.

Rapunzel looked around in amazement at the sight that was before her. She was in a grotto- _Ariel's _secret grotto to be exact. The red haired mermaid was extremely curious about the human world. In fact, Rapunzel had overheard that the red haired princess wanted to be a human, when she was talking to Flounder not long ago.

The blonde haired princess gave a sad moan as she looked at herself in front of a mirror that was in the grotto. Her hands went up to the necklace that Eric had made for her before they had often separated. She missed her prince very much. She was very tempted to ask King Triton to turn her into a human, but she knew that would a bad idea. She shuddered as she remembered what had happened when she spoke of humans to the sea King; that conversation had not gone well at all! Of course, it wasn't until after that that Ariel had told her that her mother had been killed by humans. Rapunzel felt really bad for opening such a wound. King Triton had had such a mix look of anger and grief that she was very hesitant to speak to him now.

"Rapunzel, what are you doing here?" Ariel questioned as she and Flounder entered into her grotto. Confusion and surprise was written all over her face. Ariel had not told her about this place. Had her father sent Rapunzel to watch her like Sebastian often did? Did Sebastian tell her? No, he could not have because he did not know about _this_ grotto since her previous one had gotten destroyed. She clutched onto her orange bag tightly.

The princess of Corona looked down at the ocean floor. "N-n-nothing. I am sorry, Ariel. I got bored in my room yesterday, and wanted to see if you wanted to hang out but I saw you come into here. You rolled the stone before I could enter in, and I was looking for you today to see if wanted to do something so I thought you were in here. I am sorry," she replied.

Ariel let out a sigh of relief. Her secret was safe. Well, somewhat at least. "That's okay. Just please, please, PLEASE, don't tell my father about this! He doesn't understand," the green tail mermaid told her in a frightened tone.

Rapunzel smiled at her friend. "I won't. I had never planned on telling him anyway not after what happened last time."

The princess of Atlantica let out another sigh. She could trust the blonde mermaid. She knew that now. "Want to see what I found?" The red hair girl asked excitedly.

"Sure."

Ariel took her orange bag and gently began to take her treasure out of it. She pulled out a fork and a pipe. "Aren't they amazing? This," she said as she gestured to the fork, "is a digglehopper. Humans use it to brush their hair." As she spoke she demonstrated this by combing the fork through her hair. "And this is a snarf black. It makes music," she blew the pipe and coughed from the plant that came out.

Rapunzel nearly burst out laughing as she learned what Ariel had thought the human objects were. She did not laugh though because she knew Ariel was a mermaid and had never seen humans up really close. She was about to say something to her, but a loud crashing sound made her turn.

There stood Sebastian tangled in Ariel's treasures. An expression of anger was on his face. "Ariel, what? How could you? What is all this?!" He questioned.

The red haired mermaid ran her fingers through her hair nervously. "It's-uh- my collection," she told the crab sheepishly.

The red crustacean stared at the half human with a look of calmness. "Oh, I see, your collection," he told her coolly. "IF your father knew about this place-"

"You're not going to tell him are you?" Flounder asked worriedly as he swam touching the crab's face. His green eyes and voice was filled with concern for his best friend.

"Oh, please, Sebastian, he would never understand," Ariel pleaded as she put her hands together.

Rapunzel nodded in agreement. King Triton would be furious and Ariel would be greatly saddened if anything happened to her human things.

Sebastian took a deep breath. "Ariel, come with me. I will take you home and fix you something warm t-

A large dark shadow passed over the grotto. The red haired mermaid looked up. "What do you suppose?" She questioned aloud.

The two mermaids looked at each other. Both girls were no longer listening to Sebastian. Curiosity overcame them, and they swam toward the surface.

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I am sorry it took so long for me to update. I have had a major writer's block. I may take a break from this story for a little bit and write another one, but I am not sure. What do you reader's think? Oh, and if one of you would like to make a trailer of this on youtube go ahead. It may give me inspiration just let me know if you are interested in doing it. Please review.**


	10. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine **

Ariel looked around above the water in great fascination. Her blue eyes widened as she looked at the night sky. The sky was filled with so many colors that made a popping sound. It was beautiful!

"Great big shining fish!" Sebastian exclaimed.

"Fireworks," Rapunzel murmured.

"What did you say?" The red haired mermaid questioned.

"Nothing. Come on; let's go see what's going on."

Ariel grinned. She swam after the purple tailed mermaid who was getting closer to the ship that was near the booming lights. She could hear Sebastian calling he name but she ignored him. She was too curious.

Rapunzel reached for the ladder that led to the hatch of the ship. She reached and held onto the ladder, and attempted to climb. _Now I really wish I had my legs back! It is not easy climbing up a ladder without them!_ The princess of Corona thought to herself.

One minute later Ariel appeared on the left side of the ship, and began to climb to the hatch. The mermaid was extremely was fast. She climbed like a professional using just her arms! Of course, Ariel had been a mermaid all her life and was use to this sort of thing.

Rapunzel shook her head and continued her ascent upward. Her hands were slippery from being in the ocean and she nearly fell into the sea; but Ariel grabbed her hand and pulled her up before that happened. The blond mermaid gave the red head a grateful smile and looked at what was going on onboard the ship. Her green eyes widened as her eyes fell upon a very familiar person. Her smile grew bigger. "Eric," she whispered.

Ariel stared at the blond mermaid curiously. She had a look on her face that her father and mother used to have when they would look at each other. The green tailed mermaid shook her head it was probably her imagination. Suddenly, her eyes fell upon a red haired man. Her blue eyes lit up! Hans was on this ship! She had not seen him in months. She grinned then frowned. How was she supposed to talk to him with all these people around?

"Hey, sweety! What a show, eh?" A very familiar annoying voice yelled.

"Scuttle, be quiet. They'll hear you," the red haired mermaid whispered.

"Oh, I get it," the sea gull said. "We're on a secret mission; we're out to- we're out to DISCOVER-"

Ariel and Rapunzel grabbed his beak at the same time because he kept getting louder. The bird tried to speak, but it was of little use. The mermaids had his mouth shut tight. After a few seconds, they let go of his beak.

"I've never seen so many humans at once before," Ariel whispered. She let out a sigh. "He is very handsome. Isn't he?" She questioned as her eyes kept on Hans who was writing in a notebook.

"Which human are you talking about?" Rapunzel asked in a low voice.

Her friend pointed to a red haired human. The lost princess of Corona grinned. Ariel was in love with a human and the famous author who wrote some of her favorite stories. Rapunzel continued to study her emerald tailed friend. She had a look of familiarity when she looked at the author. It was almost like she knew him. Was that even possible?

Rapunzel was about to say something, but then she heard Eric speak. That broke her from her thoughts immediately. She had not heard his voice in so long. She had almost forgotten what it sounded like. However, he sounded very upset.

"Eric, you need to give up on this search. The crew has been searching for a month and a half. You need to go to the kingdom and run things there. Stop this ridiculous search!" Grimsby said.

The black haired prince faced the man that had been like a father to him. His brown eyes flashed with anger. "No," he replied. "Rapunzel is far more important to me than any kingdom in the world, including my own. I love her and we are going to find her. IF the crew wants to stop the search, they can. I will go on my own and I will not stop until she is found and returned home."

Grimsby smiled. The boy was growing up and was willing to stand up for this girl. This was great! Corona and Denmark could be joined together by marriage possibly since the young prince cared so deeply for the princess. "Okay, we will continue the search since you feel so strongly about this. Now are you doing this because you feel sorry for her parents, or because you love her?" He questioned. Grimsby knew why he was doing this, but he wanted to hear Eric admit what he was feeling.

"What a stupid question for you to ask, Grimsby, you know I love Rapunzel. In fact, one day I would like to marry her!" Eric said quite loudly.

The entire crew faced the prince when he said that. The prince blushed.

Rapunzel let out a gasp. He wanted to marry one day! She smiled at the thought. She had imagined them getting married a few times, but to hear him say it made her happy.

"Well, since that is your wish. I have an announcement to make," Grimsby told the crew. "It is my privilege to represent to Prince Eric a very special, a very large, birthday present."

_Oh, great! _Eric thought. "You old bean pole, you shouldn't have," the prince said. He playfully punched him the older man in the arm.

"I know," Grimsby told him with a dignified tone of voice. "Happy birthday, Eric."

The crew members pulled on some ropes that were holding a large tarp. The tarp fell and revealed a huge statue of Eric in his royal attire. "Wow, it's really something," the prince said. He did not like the gift at all because to him it looked like he was a rude, stuck up person.

Max did not like it either. The sheep dog was growling at the statue. Eric nearly laughed at his dog.

He was about to say something, but suddenly out of nowhere a large storm appeared. The crew ran to their stations to keep the ship safe. This storm was very similar to the storm when he and Rapunzel were separated. He did not like it. He like this at all.


	11. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten **

Big, dark, powerful waves began to fill and come above the H. M. S. Monarchy. The men on the ship did their best to keep the steer the boat, but sadly their efforts were in vain. The captain quickly prepared a life boat for everyone to get in.

The sky became pitch black. The wind became extremely powerful. In fact, it became so powerful that it flew Ariel and Rapunzel off of the ship. The two mermaids gasped for breath as they both got caught in a small rip tide for a few seconds. They headed back up to the surface to make sure everyone was all right. They let out a sigh of relief as they saw that all the men were in the life boat safe and sound for now.

Suddenly the ship caught on fire, and a dog began to bark. It was not coming from the small boat. It was coming from the ship!

"MAX! PASCAL!" Eric yelled. Immediately, he jumped into the water and swam to the _Monarchy_. He had to get the animals off the ship! Max had been a gift from his parents before they had gotten killed, and Pascal was Rapunzel's best friend. His girlfriend would kill him if the chameleon died. He climbed up the railing of the ship, avoided the small fires on board, and franticly began to search for the animals. His eyes lit up as he saw Max on the back of the ship. Pascal was on his head. "Jump, Max! Come on, you can do it boy!" Eric told him encouragingly.

The sheep dog jumped and landed in the black haired prince's arms. Eric smiled as he saw Pascal was still on his pet's head. He ran and started to head back to the ocean to get into the life boat. He was just a few feet away from getting off, but a loose board was on the _Monarchy_. When Eric stepped on it, the board broke; and his foot got stuck.

Max fell into the water along with Pascal. The chameleon stayed on his head the entire time. Pascal was very thankful for Rapunzel having seventy feet of hair right then because he had now mastered the art of hanging onto hair whether it was wet or dry. He wanted to get back to Eric, but Grimsby had grabbed Max before he had a chance to do anything. And Pascal could not swim very well at all.

As if he had heard the chameleon's thoughts, Hans Christian Anderson jumped into the water to try to rescue the young prince. He had reached the ladder of the ship, and was just starting to climb up it when he heard something. He turned around.

"HANS! ERIC!" Grimsby yelled. He waved his hands in the air franticly, trying to tell them something.

The red haired author's eyes widened. He was going to have to get Eric off the ship quickly! There was gun powder on the ship!

Before he could take another step upward, the ship exploded. The power of the blast threw him and Eric in the water far away from the life boat.

Rapunzel and Ariel began to look around for the two men in the water. Their eyes lit up as they saw the boys floating, unconscious, on a piece of drift wood.

The two mermaids swam to them. They were about to grab them, but the men fell underneath the water before they had a chance to. The mermaids dived into the water and grabbed the men.

Ariel grabbed Hans. Rapunzel grabbed Eric. They both swam up to the top of the water before the men would start drowning. They both let out a sigh of relief as the storm began to calm down, and after a few minute the mermaids were able to head to the closest sea shore in a nice calm sea.

**Hello, my readers. I am sorry it has taken me so long to update this story. I have been so busy with college. I just entered my first semester of my junior year and I am taking 17 hours of classes. Also I am very busy studying because I have midterms in two weeks. So pray that I can learn how to balance all of this. Read and review please. Oh, by the way the story line will start to change in the next couple of chapters, and if anyone wants to make a trailer of this on youtube go ahead. You have my blessing to it, just tell that you are doing it because I want to see it. **


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

Rapunzel gently stroked Eric's face. It had been so long since they had seen each other! A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she saw his chest beginning to move up and down. She smiled. He was going to be all right!

Ariel rubbed her pale hands through Han's auburn colored hair. The author had woken up a few minutes ago, but had fallen back into unconsciousness. The explosion of the ship had taken a great deal from him. Her eyes darted to Rapunzel. She was touching the black haired human with a look of familiarity on her face.

Minutes passed, both men opened their eyes and Flounder and Sebastian were washed up near the store. They stared at the two mermaids before them. Both men murmured the names of the sea creatures before them. A smile crept upon the men's face.

"I am so glad you are okay," Rapunzel said to Eric barely above a whisper.

Eric tried to talk to her, but the only thing that came out was a cough. His throat was rather dry. He just smiled and held her hand. After a few more minutes, he was finally able to speak. "G-g-glad you are okay too," he stammered. His voice was extremely weak.

The princess of Corona grinned at him. "I missed you so much," she told him. Her green eyes filled with tears. Why did she have to turn into a mermaid?!She was happy on land, but she also loved the ocean too! How on earth was she supposed to turn back into a human? She was about to speak again, but she heard Max barking.

Ariel's blue eyes widened. She could see the outline of a human following the sheep dog. It was Grimsby! She grabbed Rapunzel's hand and the two mermaids dived into the blue water.

The two mermaids hid behind some rocks that were not too far from the shore. They both peaked behind the rocks to look at the two humans. The young men waved and smiled at them without Grimsby noticing.

Once the men were out of sight, Ariel and Rapunzel begin to swim back to Atlantica. As they swam, the red haired mermaid told the green eyed sea creature about how she had met Han. They had met about a year ago. Ariel had been exploring with her friends, Flounder and Archimedes. It was then when she saw a medal fish (a submarine which Han had corrected her on eventually)! Han had been inside it, and was exploring with his cat named Penny. However, the submarine began to leak, and water poured into the underwater vessel. With the help of Sebastian and her father, the human was taken back to the surface and his life was saved. It was this that began a friendship with the red haired mermaid and the author.

Rapunzel listen intently as Ariel told her story. She was happy for her friend. She was obviously in love with Han. The blonde haired mermaid thought it was sweet. She just hoped King Triton never found out about this. Once Ariel was done with her tale, Rapunzel told her the truth about herself.

Sebastian and Flounder swam behind the two mermaids. They both shared nervous glance. The fish and crab were hoping for the exact same thing. King Triton would not be happy at all if he found out!

Ursula looked through her magical crystal ball. A wicked smiled crept upon her face. The purple octopus clapped her tentacles together in delight. These mermaids would be the perfect tools for her to rule Atlantica!

**Okay, I know the chapter is short but I am going home this week for spring break and I know I will not have time to submit anything else until later. I hope you enjoy this. Please review!**


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

A few days had passed since Ariel and Rapunzel had seen their male human friends. The two mermaids let out a sigh as they swam slowly in the ocean.

"I think that I know a way t-"the red haired mermaid began to tell her friend.

The sound of her name being called interrupted her sentence. She turned around. She smiled as she saw who had said her name. It was her friend Urchin! He was a blonde haired merman who Ariel and her sisters had adopted as their younger brother. Her smile widened when she saw her deaf friend, Gabriella, with her interpreter Ollie behind him. The young merman and the Latin American mermaid had met several days ago and had become great friends. In fact, the two were rarely separated now. Ariel thought that they would make a cute couple, perhaps Urchin would ask her out one day.

"How are you, Ariel? Who is your friend?" Ollie translated for Gabriella.

Ariel told them that she was fine and introduced them to Rapunzel. The princess of Corona smiled at them. They were really nice merfolk and fun to be around. They all decided to spend the day exploring.

After they explored some of the places that they had had adventures at, they all decided to go explore some sunken ships so Ariel could have more human things for her collection. Flounder was the only one who did not want to go because he had nearly gotten eaten by a shark last time. However, after much persuasion, the fish agreed.

The blue and yellow fish began to shake as they approached the ship. Ariel gave her friend an encouraging smile and motioned for him to follow. He did but that did not make him quit shaking.

As they entered the ship, they saw many human things. States, silver ware, treasure chest, and other things; but the thing that really caught Ariel's eye was a doll. She picked it up and examined it. "Rapunzel, is this a human baby?" the green tailed mermaid asked.

"No, it's a baby doll. Human girls, when they are young, play with them," she explained.

"Oh. It is very pretty," Ariel replied. And indeed it was. It was made of porcelain and has beautiful brown curly hair with hazel eyes. "I am defitni-"

"What was that?" Flounder asked interrupting her sentence.

The red haired mermaid rolled her blue eyes at her friend's worriedness. The fish was afraid of everything, but she could not blame him. He did come close to getting killed last time.

"I don't know, but I saw it too. We need to get out of here," Urchin said as he took Gabriella's hand.

"What did you see?" Ariel and Rapunzel asked at the same time.

"_A flash of gray,"_ signed the deaf mermaid.

As soon as Ollie interpreted what Gabriella signed, they all saw the flash of gray. They immediately started to swim away in case it was a shark. A few minutes later, they all found out what the gray thing was, and to everyone's relief it was not a shark. It was a dolphin and she was very friendly. Her name was Coral. She offered to take them out of the place because she had seen several sharks in the area earlier.

They all agreed for Flounder's sakes because he was shaking even worse and with that they left. It was a good thing too because they had three sharks chase them.

A few days later, Rapunzel and Ariel were taken to Ariel's Secret Grotto by Flounder. Apparently, he had a surprise for the mermaids. They girls were very excited and thankful for whatever the blue and yellow fish wanted to show them. They had run into Sebastian who was determined to convince them to stay away from Eric and Hans. Both mermaids were not happy with the crab for this at all. They were in love with the men and Sebastian was really making them stress out.

Their eyes widened with shock as they entered the grotto. "Oh, my gosh! Flounder, you're the best!" They exclaimed at the exact same time. They gave him a giant hug.

The fish blushed. "It was nothing," he replied quietly.

The mermaids giggled as they looked at the gifts they had received. There in front of them was a statue of Eric and beside it was a picture made of coral of Hans.

They hugged Flounder again. "Thank you," Ariel whispered in his ear. She and Rapunzel swam to their gifts and smiled. They both started to pretend that their gifts were their real lovers. Their fun was cut short, however; when they saw King Triton come out of the shadows.

Both mermaids gulped. They were going to be in big trouble.


End file.
